Puck wrote:I think you can understand why Gillis would hang on to this core. It made it to the seventh game of the Cup finals. It's hard to believe that they could be that drastically different than two years ago, but the landscape has changed: they need to adapt. I'm not even sure that this year's PT winner is the right group to make it out of the west.

I think the lesson that Gillis has to learn is that every NHL crack down on obstruction/defensive play that has occurred since 1994 has been temporary in nature. He needs to take off the blinders if he's ignorant to this fact, and he needs to build the team accordingly. The most amazing part of his post season press conference to me was that he expressed astonishment that the NHL has not maintained an emphases on "a certain style" of "skilled play". Call it what you will, but the style of hockey Gillis is talking about has never been supported by the NHL in recent history for an extended period of time.

It wasn't astonishment. It was disappointment. He obviously recognizes it and he did last year but as much as we don't want to admit it, the shortened season did in large part prevent significant changes from being made.

It will be very interesting to see who comes out of the conf. finals this year. Will it be the skill teams chi, det, Pitts or will it be the D minded teams like NY, bos or LA. If the big d focused teams make it through it legitamizes GM MGs sense of direction this league is taking. If skill prevails then perhaps he'll rethink his monumental shift in direction he's considering.

I don't really get GM MG's or anyone else's comments that things have changed. The playoffs has always been about strength speed and skill and assholeness. It ain't really rocket science.Just tough to find those kinds of players..

Topper wrote:I heartily endorse what Doug Wilson said about Shanny the media whore's discipline of Torres.

So it cost the Sharks $100K, it needed to be said and more teams need to follow through similarly and do so with a Shanny the media whore like video.

I guess the Sharks can't count on the benefit of the refs' discretion now.

Round 1 will be a happy memory for them. Agree that more teams should follow suit, but if the Sharks bow out with a Vancouver-like penalty differential you better believe the rest of the teams will take notice and not utter a peep for fear of getting on the wrong side of the league.